Germany Deploys Eurofighters to Poland in NATO Air Policing Push Amid Heightened Eastern Flank Vigilance
Germany has deployed five Eurofighter Typhoon jets and around 150 personnel from its Tactical Air Wing 31 “Boelcke” to Poland as part of NATO’s reinforced air policing mission on the Alliance’s eastern flank, the German Air Force confirmed this week.
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| Image Source: NATO Air Command |
The German detachment will support NATO’s 24/7 Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) operations, a continuous peacetime mission designed to ensure that Allied airspace remains secure, controlled, and protected from potential intrusions or threats.
Operating under NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem, Germany’s Eurofighter pilots and ground crews will work in close coordination with the Polish Air Force, conducting regular training flights and readiness exercises.
These operations aim to strengthen interoperability and maintain immediate response capability against unidentified or non-compliant aircraft near NATO territory.
“This deployment to Poland highlights Germany’s unwavering commitment to the shared security of the Euro-Atlantic area,” said the mission’s Detachment Commander, known by the callsign “Colonel,” in a statement.
“We look forward to working with our Polish counterparts over the next four months as part of NATO’s air policing mission.”
The deployment is part of NATO’s enhanced vigilance posture known as Eastern Sentry, which was introduced in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and designed to bolster deterrence along the Alliance’s most exposed borders. Eastern Sentry provides NATO with a scalable and flexible airpower presence, ready to adapt to evolving threat perceptions and airspace security conditions.
Notably, this marks Germany’s second simultaneous Air Policing operation, with another detachment of five Eurofighters stationed at Mihail Kogฤlniceanu Air Base in Romania since April 2025.
The dual deployments highlight Berlin’s expanding role in NATO’s eastern deterrence architecture and its willingness to allocate advanced military assets and personnel toward Alliance defence commitments.
NATO's Air Policing mission, a cornerstone of the Alliance’s collective defence under Article 5, has taken on heightened significance in recent years.
While formally a peacetime operation, it serves as a visible symbol of Allied readiness and solidarity, particularly for frontline states like Poland, Romania, and the Baltic members, which have called for more robust NATO presence in the face of continued Russian aggression.
Germany’s renewed emphasis on rapid response and regional engagement also signals its evolving defence posture under the Zeitenwende doctrine--a strategic shift announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in early 2022 that aimed to reshape German security policy following the war in Ukraine.
Berlin has since committed to higher defence spending, accelerated procurement of new military systems, and deeper integration with NATO’s force posture.
The current deployment to Poland further affirms those commitments and reflects the operational side of Germany’s new military ambitions.
At the same time, the presence of German Eurofighters so close to the Alliance’s eastern frontier is likely to be closely monitored by Moscow, which has frequently denounced NATO's enhanced forward presence as provocative.
Nonetheless, Allied officials maintain that such deployments are strictly defensive and integral to preserving stability in the region.
NATO’s integrated air defence architecture allows for rapid deployment of air assets, coordinated command structures, and real-time intelligence sharing, all of which contribute to the deterrence equation.
With this latest mission, Germany joins other NATO nations—including the UK, Spain, Italy, and Canada—that have rotated air policing contingents across eastern Europe in recent years.
The collective effort reflects a broad commitment to deterrence-by-denial and a strategic shift from reactive to proactive security postures within the Alliance.